Strengthening Public-Private Cooperation with Civil Society

The report outlines the multifaceted roles of civil society—as mediators, champions, experts, implementers, and watchdogs—in enhancing the impact of public-private partnerships. It identifies specific areas for cooperation, including the pursuit of 'just transitions' in the shift to net-zero, the protection of digital rights in emerging technologies, and the localization of humanitarian aid in fragile contexts. The document concludes by urging leaders to rebuild trust through long-term collaborations and the protection of civic space.

• Civil society serves five primary roles in public-private cooperation: mediators who broker trust, champions who advocate for marginalized communities, experts providing local and sector knowledge, implementers driving front-line service delivery, and watchdogs ensuring transparency and accountability.
• In the transition to net-zero, civil society and unions are essential to define and implement 'just transitions' to prevent 'just transition washing' and ensure that environmental sustainability is paired with quality jobs and poverty eradication.
• Indigenous peoples steward more than 80% of Earth's biodiversity despite making up less than 5% of the global population, yet they receive less than 1% of climate funding and are frequently excluded from nature-based solution partnerships.
• Civil society is necessary to protect digital human rights and the 'common good' as emerging technologies like AI and the metaverse are deployed, providing a 'reality check' to ensure interventions are not designed without considering critical needs or rights trade-offs.
• In fragile and conflict-affected environments, civil society organizations are critical for localizing humanitarian action and providing basic services, as evidenced by efforts in East Africa where over 14 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya face famine.
• The global housing crisis is severe, with UN Habitat estimating that 3 billion people will require access to affordable housing by 2030.
• To improve the effectiveness of public-private cooperation, leaders are advised to move beyond one-off project funding toward long-term collaborations, share resources and data with the social sector, and actively protect open civic space.

APA

World Economic Forum (2023). Strengthening Public-Private Cooperation with Civil Society. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Strengthening_Public_Private_Cooperation_with_Civil_Society_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Strengthening Public-Private Cooperation with Civil Society. 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Strengthening_Public_Private_Cooperation_with_Civil_Society_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Strengthening Public-Private Cooperation with Civil Society |date=January 2023 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Strengthening_Public_Private_Cooperation_with_Civil_Society_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2023strengthening, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Strengthening Public-Private Cooperation with Civil Society}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Strengthening_Public_Private_Cooperation_with_Civil_Society_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }